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Lock the Gate Media release 3 June 2016
Polling of 250,000 people confirms public rejection of CSG mining nationally.

Lock the Gate say this should trigger election commitments.

New polling confirms the public has rejected risky unconventional gas drilling and highlights the failure of both major political parties to act on community concerns on the issue in the lead-up to the Federal election.
The ABC has released polling data showing 67% of Australians are opposed to any easing of restrictions on coal seam gas exploration, and that this number had grown since the last Federal election in 2013.

http://ab.co/1Y5b4KK
Lock the Gate Alliance National Coordinator, Phil Laird said, “Clearly, there is widespread rejection of the unconventional gas industry by people across Australia given the profound risks that it poses to water resources and human health.
“This polling of more than 250,000 repondants confirms that opposition to CSG and unconventional gas is a massive issue in the lead-up to the Federal election and that controls on this risky industry need to be tightened not loosened, to address community concerns
“We’re calling on both major political parties to respond by:
• Fully protecting important water sources like Sydney’s drinking water catchment and the Great Artesian Basin in no-go zones.
• Acting urgently to protect human health by creating a national Environment Protection Authority and commissioning national research on health impacts of gas drilling.”
“The CSG industry has been a nightmare for families forced to live with it in Qld. The impacts on health, water and farming communities, as well as regional economies, has been severe.
“People across Australia have learnt the hard lessons from Qld and are saying very clearly that they think Governments must take stronger action against this industry. The time for action is now.
“This new polling also confirms previous regional polling which has shown 70-80% opposition to unconventional gas drilling in various communities across Australia and 96% in door to door surveys in farming districts,” he said.

Australia : We CAN get 100% renewable electricity by 2030! But do our political parties have the will?

The Homegrown Power Plan, a joint project between GetUp! and Solar Citizens, shows how we can repower the country with 100% renewable electricity by 2030.

How? By rebooting our failing electricity system, removing the roadblocks holding us back, and investing in the renewables boom.

A move to 100% renewable energy is practical, achievable, economically sound and overwhelmingly popular. Governments are being left behind by citizens voting with their feet (or their rooftops). It’s time they caught up.

The Homegrown Power Plan shows that 100% of our electricity can be renewable by 2030, and that 40% of our transport energy can be renewable by 2035, and 100% of both our electricity and transport energy can be renewable by 2050.

Projections of the escalating risks of climate change under a business as usual, high emissions scenario are becoming more certain and more disturbing. Electricity generation accounts for about 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The Australian Capital Territory and South Australia, are already leading the way in renewables aiming for 100% renewable.

Currently only 14.6% of Australia’s electricity is coming from renewable energy (Clean Energy Council 2016). At the same time, research suggests that Australia would need to source a minimum of 50% of its power from renewable sources by 2030 to achieve emissions reductions consistent with a 2°C pathway (ClimateWorks 2014).

Australia has the potential to generate a much higher proportion of our electricity and transport needs from renewable energy. Our renewable energy resources are potentially capable of providing 500 times the amount of electricity we currently use (AEMO 2013; Commonwealth of Australia 2014).

A 50% Renewable Electricity scenario in 2030 will lead to over 28,000 new jobs, nearly 50% more employment than a business as usual scenario.

Job losses in the shift from coal fired electricity generation must be planned early with the community and industry involved. As in other economic and technology shifts, jobs will be lost and new jobs will be created. Some jobs will be easy to replace, while others may require re-training, up-skilling or relocation, or may disappear. But 50% renewable electricity in 2030 will lead to nearly 50% more employment from electricity generation than business as usual.

Renewable Energy Jobs: Future Growth in Australia by Ernst & Young and the Climate Council of Australia.

Madelon Finkel says; “This is an important book discussing many different aspects of an important topic. Each of the authors is an expert in his/her field, and the material is all evidenced-based (no personal opinions permitted).

Natural gas and oil prices have plunged, but that does not mean that fracking has disappeared or isn’t an issue anymore. Quite the contrary. Much more needs to be done to understand the components of the fracking fluid, for example. Much more work must be done to figure out how to dispose of the fracking byproducts. Much more needs to be done to scientifically document the potential for harm both to human and animal health and the environment. But most importantly, the public needs to get an unbiased, evidenced-based discussion of the pros and the cons of this technology. This is not an anti-fracking book; this is a book that lays out the facts and lets the reader make up his or her mind about the potential benefits and limitations of hydraulic fracturing.”

‘We can conclude that this process has not been shown to be safe’

In the third asssessment in as many days focused on the pollution created by the booming industry, a group of researchers said Wednesday that the controversial oil and gas drilling practice known as fracking likely produces public health risks and “elevated levels of toxic compounds in the environment” in nearly all stages of the process.

The latest research, conducted by the Physicians Scientists & Engineers for Healthy Energy, compiled “the first systematic literature review” of peer-reviewed studies on the effects of fracking on public health and found the majority of research points to dangerous risks to public health, with many opportunities for toxic exposure.

“It’s clear that the closer you are [to a fracking site], the more elevated your risk,” said lead author Seth Shonkoff, from the University of California-Berkeley. “We can conclude that this process has not been shown to be safe.”

According to the “near exhaustive review” of fracking research, environmental pollution is found “in a number of places and through multiple processes in the lifecycle of shale gas development,” the report states. “These sources include the shale gas production and processing activities (i.e., drilling, hydraulic fracturing, hydrocarbon processing and production, wastewater disposal phases of development); the transmission and distribution of the gas to market (i.e., in transmission lines and distribution pipes); and the transportation of water, sand, chemicals, and wastewater before, during, and after hydraulic fracturing.”

Citing the recent research, the report continues:

Shale gas development uses organic and inorganic chemicals known to be health damaging in fracturing fluids (Aminto and Olson 2012; US HOR 2011). These fluids can move through the environment and come into contact with humans in a number of ways, including surface leaks, spills, releases from holding tanks, poor well construction, leaks and accidents during transportation of fluids, flowback and produced water to and from the well pad, and in the form of run-off during blowouts, storms, and flooding events (Rozell and Reaven 2012). Further, the mixing of these compounds under conditions of high pressure, and often, high heat, may synergistically create additional, potentially toxic compounds (Kortenkamp et al. 2007; Teuschler and Hertzberg 1995; Wilkinson 2000). Compounds found in these mixtures may pose risks to the environment and to public health through numerous environmental pathways, including water, air, and soil (Leenheer et al. 1982). […]

At certain concentrations or doses, more than 75% of the chemicals identified are known to negatively impact the skin, eyes, and other sensory organs, the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal system, and the liver; 52% have the potential to negatively affect the nervous system; and 37% of the chemicals are candidate endocrine disrupting chemicals.

The group also warns that while numerous studies have proven the alarming and destructive nature of fracking, there is still not nearly enough research on the issue, particularly on the long-term effects of fracking on public health, such as future cancer rates.

“Most importantly,” say the authors, “there is a need for more epidemiological studies to assess associations between risk factors, such as air and water pollution and health outcomes among populations living in close proximity to shale gas operations.”

The review follows on the heels of two other reviews on the dangers of fracking released earlier this week.

The first report, a scientific study released Monday, found that methane emissions from fracking could be up to 1000 times greater than what the EPA has estimated. Methane is up to 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

The second report, a review conducted by Bloomberg News on Wednesday, detailed how industrial waste from fracking sites is leaving a “legacy of radioactivity” and other toxic problems across the country and spawning a “surge” in illegal dumping at hundreds of sites in the U.S.

http://www.protectlimestonecoast.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/water-pollution.jpg360540wp662852http://www.protectlimestonecoast.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Logo-1.jpgwp6628522014-04-17 15:04:072014-04-22 15:05:50Third Report in Three Days Shows Scale of Fracking Perils

“ONE of the nation’s most prestigious wine regions – the Coonawarra, on South Australia’s Limestone Coast – has emerged as the latest battleground in the conflict between mining interests and agriculturalists.”

http://www.protectlimestonecoast.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/gaslandpart2.jpg139651wp662852http://www.protectlimestonecoast.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Logo-1.jpgwp6628522014-02-01 14:47:182014-02-21 15:13:38The Sky Is Pink - 6% of well casings fail IN THE FIRST YEAR!